Mean Streets (1973) — Art of the Title

Mean Streets (1973) — Art of the Title




The film Mean Streets fits into the genre of crime and drama. This title sequence starts with the main character Charlie (Harvey Keitel) who wakes up and looks in the mirror. This could signify that this character feels bad about things he is doing as he looks in the mirror with regret.  We already know this character is religious this is due to the cross on the wall and the dialogue at the start of the scene so it could give the impression that this man is stuck between his religious life and some sort of crime life he is living. The music then starts, which sounds like it is from the 1950's with an Italian like feel. This gives the impression that this film is set in little Italy which is evident further on in the title sequence.

We are then shown super 8 videos of Charlie socializing with his friends around  little Italy and they are all very well dressed in suits. This immediately gives the impression to the audience that they are gangsters in little Italy. This shows a transition between when we first see him he looks as if he is upset or concerned about something but when we see him through the super 8 camera he looks as if he is happy and enjoying being with his friends. We then see a baby which we assume is Charlies and that he is married. He also gives off a distant feel as his wife kisses him due to the fact that she kisses him on the cheek and he barely gives affection. This could show that he does not love his wife as much as she loves him or that he is more focused on his life outside of his family.

A shot of a character called Johnny Boy ( Robert De Niro) is then shown who we have not yet been introduced too his shown in to different shots without the main character charlie. This could infer that Johnny boy is going to be another key character in the movie and have some sort of relation with Charlie. The camera also starts to scratch even more during the last shot we see of Johnny Boy this could show that there is something not quite right with this man and maybe he is an antagonist to the story or Charlie. The next shot is of Charlie with a priest this again brings up the two lives that Charlie lives one a religious man another a gangster.